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Monk Background rules
Monk Background Character from the Monk background are member of the various temples and religious orders of the Empire, brought up from just about any walk of life in the Empire. Caste and origin counts very little for the Temples, as they accept anyone with the calling from the lowest peasants to the highest Son of Heaven. Quite a few emperors and other high advisors retired to Temples throughout history, but those were not always the most respectable or powerful monks, as even a simple peasant could become a great teacher with some knowledge and charisma. Monks usually have a mix of both intellectual and social skills, mostly concentrating on religious matters and education, but many of them also have combat skills built around their specialized abilities. Monk honor overthrow any other Honor type once its gained, replacing all other honors, even Ronin and Peasant, but there is no specific "gradation" in the Monk, as it is not viewed as superior or inferior to any other. Monks are, all in all, outside of the Celestial Order, meaning they are not affected by political struggles like other groups, but are also quite fragile if their protectors decide to give up defending them due to the same political matters, leading many temples to keep their own warriors, as discussed below. Monks have access to very specific Weapon Packages, specifically the Monk Weapons, Martial Arts weapons and more specifically, they can also select a specific Martial Arts as their mean of defense. Monks that are specialized in Martial Arts are considered as having their first Style as their Weapon Focus, while Monks that take a Weapon Package can select a weapon from their package as their Weapon Focus. Monks can purchase Weapon Emphasis to learn mastery abilites as normal, but cannot normally learn Kata or Special Techniques, unless they learn those techniques through Kihos, with these weapons. Monk backgrounds are built around the religious belief of the character, and a character cannot learn techniques from a religion different from his own, but can freely navigate through the different background of his religion when he raises his Insight rank. You can customize the character and background as you see fit after this. The Religious Orders Order of the North Star : A Way of the Stars-based order, the Order of the North Star works hand in hand with the Onmyou in studying and eliminating supernatural creatures. They are well-known for their martial arts prowess as well. The 12 Tower Temple : A Way of the Stars-based order, the 12 Tower Temple specializes in studying the natural world and explaining facts of life to the general population. Shrine Attendants : A Path of the Spirits-based order, the Shrine Attendants are the monks who take care and protect shrines to the spirits throughout the Empire, making sure the local spirits are pleased. Possibly the largest order of monks in the Empire. Izanagi's Penitents : A Path of the Spirits-based order, the Penitents live in service to Lord Izanagi, that create all life and protect it against the powers of the Yomi and Izanami. The Penitents are more martial oriented than other monk orders. The Judges of the Temple : An Ancestor Worshipper order, the Judges are the direct military arm of the Temple, taking care of regulating people not respecting the laws of the Temple and squashing heresy wherever it comes. The Association of Rabbi: An Ancestor Worshipper order, the Rabbi take care of codifying the laws of the Temple and interpreting the signs of the ancestors. The Kindai Seekers: A Kindai order, the Seekers try to attain human perfection through meditation, perfect alimentation and simple physical exercices. The least martial or aggressive branch of Kindai, most Seekers are self-centered and keep to themselves. The Kindai Teachers: A Kinda order, the Teachers try to show others the reach of human perfection by travelling and proselytizing the word of the Kindai, making them a far more aggressive branch of Kindai, often getting into conflicts with other religious orders. The Weepers of the North: An Ice Crone Order, the Weepers are those who lost loved ones and travel the Empire teaching that this loss is only the start of a better life, as well as promoting possession by spirits rather than direct exorcism. Warrior Monks A specific subset of monks are the far more martial minded Warrior-Monks, many of which are simply fanatics serving the temples as an armed force which can almost be deployed at any time. Warrior-Monks follow similar rules to Warrior-Caste characters rather than Monk characters, but can enter the more "scholastic" schools of their religion when they progress in Insight. Bear-style Heavy Infantry:' A skilled, fanatical warrior protected by his honor and his courage. Can be used as a Samurai or a Monk. The Berserkers ': Warriors that disregard their personnal safety for the opportunity to make the kill. Can be used as a Samurai or Monk. Mystic Warrior :' A warrior that is not defined by his martial skills, but his inner attributes and spirituality. Can be used as a Samurai or Monk. Mountain Warrior ': The Yamabushi and warrior monks of old, capable of inhuman feats of might and skill. Can be used as a Samurai or Monk. Spiritsword : Warriors that specialize in finding and fighting with creatures not of this world. Can be used as a Samurai, Monk or Onmyou. Category:L5R Rule conversion Category:Ruleset Category:Monk